Happy Little Family
by Princess Zathura
Summary: To Jerry, family is everything. And of course, he'll do anything to make sure it keeps growing, so when Ed requests that his "girlfriend" join them, how could he say no? Warning: Implied rape, abuse, lots of other bad things.
1. Prologue

**Sooo... I wrote a thing... Um I know I haven't updated anything that people have actually been requesting... and I'm sorry... kinda... I've just lost a lot of inspiration and this site just seems so... dead to me now, but I'll get into that later. Just a warning, this story is not for the faint of heart, lots of bad things implied/ blatantly stated, so yeah... Have fun with that. This'll probably be the only author's note and thus the only warning you will get. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Prologue**

Jerry really didn't want to do this; there was too much risk involved, but Ed just wouldn't shut up until he agreed to fetch his "internet girlfriend" from California. Ugh, kids. To make matters worse, Ed insisted on coming along. It wasn't as if Jerry had much of a choice other than to let him though. It was dangerous to bring a newborn on a trip like this, especially this soon. To have a childe of Ed's age in a small vehicle travelling through cities with many foreign sights and smells hitting him at once, honestly it was a nightmare even on paper. It was about five hundred sixty-five miles to Sacramento, it would take a night to get there, they'd have to pass the day in a motel or something, and then grab the girl as soon as the sun went down. Jerry prayed she wouldn't fight too much. If she became too much to handle, he'd have to turn her before they left and then he'd be travelling with two newborns all the way home. He didn't even want to think of that.

"Did you text her?" Jerry asked, as Ed came up from the basement.

"Somehow. Your basement has the worst signal ever." Jerry already wanted to hit him. Instead he took a deep breath,

"Well what did she say?"

"She'll be at Natomas Oaks Park around eight this Saturday evening, ready for our date." Ed answered, proud of himself. The nerd could get the girl, and boy had he hit the jackpot with this one. He'd met Melanie online a few months ago when he was playing WoW and she was just the sweetest thing. Since then they'd skyped a few times, and she had given him her number after Brewster pretty much left him and Adam for good. After Adam died, she was pretty much all he had left until Jerry came along. Jerry was going to create one big happy family and he was kind enough to let Mel join. He'd been wrong to be so suspicious of the vampire, not that anyone had believed him anyway except for Adam and… Oh. Ed smacked himself in the head, how could he have forgotten?

"By the way, there's one little detail I may have forgotten to mention…"

Jerry sat up straight in his chair and raised an eyebrow at the newborn. "Such as?" he questioned, his patience clearly wearing thin at this point. If they were going to do this there could be no complications, and no loose ends; namely that brat next door.

"I may have... told her about you... after Adam died…?"

Jerry stood up, "And what did you tell her?" He cracked his neck.

Ed put his hands up in front of him, "Nothing major, just that I thought you were a vampire and that I couldn't see you on my camera. No telling if she actually believed me anyway! I-I mean, she doesn't know what you look like since I could get no clear photo of you and since I've been talking to her so often she shouldn't know about me yet!" Jerry sighed and made his way toward Ed, who at this point was cowering in a corner. He slapped one hand on his shoulder,

"Calm down, if she doesn't suspect anything, then this should be cake, right Guy?" Ed nodded vigorously.

"Right!"

"Good." Jerry moved past Ed, into the kitchen. "You got your stuff packed, yet?" He called back to Ed who was still occupying his little corner.

"Uh, yeah, I packed the essentials."

"We'll pick up some flowers for you to give the girl on the way. Every girl likes roses. We'll pick her up some chocolate too."

"Really? That'd be great!"

"Just don't forget to pack the duct tape. I already have the rope in the trunk. We wouldn't want her getting away from us on the trip home." Ed stared at the kitchen entryway, trying to focus on Jerry's words through the haze of excitement about finally being able to see Melanie irl.

"R-right!" He mumbled, an idiotic smile on his face. Two days from now he'd be with what had to be the sweetest girl in the whole wide world. He wondered what they would talk about, what they should do on their date. Jerry had to give him at least a little time with her before they left, right? He could hardly wait! Will that grin still on his face, he stumbled downstairs to finish packing and maybe get some sleep, if he could. Oh sweet Melanie. He kept imagining what she was going to wear, how she'd do her hair, if she'd paint her nails just for him. He imagined the look on her face when he gave her the roses, her beautiful smile, the softness of her hand as he held it, the moment that soft skin would give way under the pressure of his fangs and his mouth would be filled with warm, rich blood. No. He groaned, trying to clear that thought from his mind. He couldn't do that to her. Jerry was going to turn her and they'd roam the night together, indulge in the upcoming blood bath that would be the demise of this town and all its inhabitants. He pictured the two of them, Charley and Amy begging for mercy at their hands. Ed groaned again, but for a different reason. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep like this, the anticipation was killing him!

Jerry heard Ed lock himself in the bathroom and rolled his eyes, teenagers. He was going to head into town tonight and grab something to eat, and perhaps pick up something to keep the little miss quiet for a few hours. Believe it or not, chloroform wasn't the easiest substance to get a hold of, though he knew a place he could get some roofies should it come to that. Of course, he could always persuade her himself, though he had a feeling Ed would take exception to that and he really didn't want to deal with his fledgling's whining all the way home. No, it would be much easier just to drug her, just long enough to get her away from town, though he'd need to think of a plan of action for when they stopped for the day. His blood could keep her docile, but the trip itself was going to be enough of a strain without having to glamour the girl. Then again, if she did make any noise, then the trip would become that much easier. It wouldn't be hard to just massacre the place if the need arose. He was sure Ed would be pretty hungry by that time, probably eyeing up his girlfriend for a snack at that point, if not other things. Jerry grinned to himself at the thought. If he was feeling particularly nice, he'd leave and let Ed have a go at her while they were at the motel. Of course, he couldn't leave them alone. He was sure Ed wouldn't mind him having to watch, heck, maybe he'd even join in.

Oh teenagers and their hormones. Jerry tuned in to Ed, still in the bathroom. If the kid was that randy he'd have to have another go at him himself before they left. Newborns were akin to animals in a way, they found it hard to focus on anything but their base instincts, their need to feed, fight, and fuck, and with him being the kind and loving patriarch, who was he to deny them? This girl would be no different. After she had calmed down a bit, he'd leave her to Ed, but until then, she'd need him, and he was more than willing to oblige.

Jerry moved from his place in the kitchen and headed toward the basement. Perhaps this trip wasn't going to be as bad as he had thought.


	2. A Day Trip to Cali

**Chapter 1: "Day Trip" to Cali**

* * *

Vampires, being cold, unfeeling, inhuman creatures spawned from the deepest pits of Hell, as people so eloquently liked to describe them, were natural hunters. They were apex predators and they ruled over humans as they did over cattle. Of course, all of this was lost on Ed as this powerful, supreme being still managed to trip over his own shoelaces and run face-first into a wall. Watching him pick himself back up, Jerry was resisting the urge to slam his head back into that wall a few more times for good measure. Jerry was a kind and generous sire, or so he kept repeating to himself as he continued to watch the almost painful spectacle that was Ed trying to prepare for his "date". If she was this much of a spaz, he wasn't even going to bother turning her. She was going to sit in one of his holding pens until Ed eventually killed her with his overzealousness. Seriously, this kid had no sense of charm or finesse. Jerry was beginning to wonder how he survived as a human as he was doing terribly as a vampire. The elder vampire sighed and caught the newborn before his latest bout of idiocy could land him and their supplies all over the floor.

"T-thanks, Jerry."

"No problem, Kid. You got everything?"

"Yeah, rope, duct tape, cologne, a new set of earrings, my lucky boxers…"

"The roofies?"

"Oh yeah, those. Also I was thinking that when we get to the motel I can mix together some chloroform, just in case." Jerry raised and eyebrow but didn't comment. The kid was a spaz, but he was still pretty smart.

"It looks like you've got everything figured out there, don't you, Guy?" Had they been human, Ed would be blushing.

"Well then, I guess we'd better get a move on." Finally.

"Yeah, just wait a sec while I go brush my teeth again!" Jerry firmly gripped Ed by the shoulder before he could run off.

"Get in the truck." He said firmly, Ed did not object. Jerry made sure to lock the basement tight just in case anyone got any ideas while he was gone. The screaming had long since died down since he had thrown a hooker down there to tide the kids over. The body would be gone by the time they returned. At the moment the holding rooms were all empty as to remove temptation from the house, though he'd have to get some fresh blood in there when they returned. Newborns were a lively bunch.

Jerry locked the front door behind him and made sure to pocket the spare key before climbing into his truck. Ed sat silently next to him, texting. Jerry threw a final glance at his neighbor's house, sending a silent warning toward a now asleep Charley Brewster. That boy had no idea what he was getting himself into, much like Ed, but unlike Ed, that kid had balls. If he manned up to do something drastic while they were gone, well, Jerry would be forced to take care of him prematurely, and that would be such a waste of potential. As they pulled out of the driveway and made their way down the road, Jerry felt a small tinge of excitement down his spine, this might me, dare he say it, fun. He was looking forward to watching the news upon his return, watching the panic and tears, all stemming from their actions. Perhaps he'd let her sit with himself and Ed and let her watch it too. Just imagining the scent of her her terror and anguish almost made his mouth water. Speeding down the single, two lane road out of town, Jerry decided that though he'd already eaten today, he desperately needed to sink his fangs into something.

Ed held his phone against his extremely slow-beating heart. Mel was an angel, an absolute angel, his angel. They were currently conversing about the latest developments of the DC Universe, much of which he had been missing due to his "condition" and she was just a wellspring of knowledge that she was more than willing to share with him. She had asked if he had wanted to be her cosplay partner for comicon this year and he almost went through the roof when she had said she wanted to cosplay Batgirl and wanted him to be her Robin. Of course Jerry would never let them go, it would be a terrible idea to allow two newborns to terrorize a buffet of nerds, they might actually grab a celebrity in disguise and they'd be exposed. Besides, his angel deserved much better than the common nerd, he'd give her a real treat, he was going to give her Amy. Ed barely managed to suppress the urge to groan at the thought of his beautiful angel sinking her teeth into that whore. Watching Amy beg for mercy, finally paying Charley back for all the pain he'd had to go through after he'd ditched him and Adam, and then after Adam's death. Finally showing Charley once and for all that he was wrong. If he had been less of a dick, maybe he'd have asked Jerry to turn him, but Charley wasn't worth the effort. Ed shifted in his seat, revenge would come afterwards, first there was a long road trip ahead of him and Jerry didn't seem to be in the best of moods at the moment.

* * *

They reached the motel just minutes before the sun's deadly rays began to creep over the horizon. Ed stood silently behind Jerry as he conversed with the man behind the counter. As excited as he was, he really wasn't looking forward to spending the day alone with Jerry. In his efforts to make sure everything was perfect for his date later on, he had spent over an hour in a corner store picking out flowers and chocolates for his date. After whining about how his angel deserved something of higher quality, Jerry, finally losing his patience, practically ripped his arm out of the socket dragging him from the store. That said, Having to be alone with Jerry for almost fifteen hours did not sound like the epitome of the perfect day for him. He just had to keep in mind that after all of this, his angel would finally be by his side and he would no longer have to spend the day feeling so alone. Ed barely caught the room key that Jerry tossed at him and took the hint to go and lug his stuff to the room while Jerry had a little "chat" with with the receptionist. Gain his trust in the usual, Jerry fashion. If there was no more convenient targets, which he found somewhat unlikely considering the current… fashion… of this motel, then the poor dude behind the desk would have to go.

Depending on how long Ed's "date" took, Jerry would take them to a much nicer, more high class, Vegas hotel. Just a little something to celebrate their new arrival. Feed the kids a few hookers as a treat, let them have their fun before they return to that calm little neighborhood. Maybe an orgy. Vegas had enough hookers that no one would miss that Jerry was confident that he could just let the two newborns lose and they'd barely make a difference. Vegas was prime hunting ground which was one of the reasons that he'd selected to set up base there and the cute little residential neighborhood that lied a little bit away from the hustle and bustle of the city itself was remote enough that no one would come looking for anyone who lived there and no one would mind if the entire population of that little town suddenly became nocturnal. Now Jerry was only mildly annoyed at Ed for this trip and all of its effects, but he was greatly looking forward to the return trip home, and it was this anticipation that was keeping him sane while having to deal with Ed's shenanigans. That said, none of this changed the fact that Jerry was exhausted from the trip so far, nor did this change the fact that he desperately needed a drink. This girl certainly wasn't going to be the only one "disappearing" from the park tonight.

* * *

The day passed by slowly and uneventfully. By the time Jerry had arrived at their room, Ed had already claimed the bed on the far side of the room and was busy sleeping the day away. Jerry decided to occupy his time with mind numbing television, a guilty pleasure of his. Sunset came a little after seven thirty and in order to avoid Ed's whining Jerry sent him ahead on foot so he wouldn't be late. Ed had taken the roofies but left the chloroform he'd made with Jerry. The roofies would act as their Plan B for now. Once Jerry got to the park with the truck, he'd knock her out with the chloroform and Ed would prepare her for transport before they immediately high-tailed it back to Nevada. If only. Jerry was pretty sure that Ed would find some way to blow their cover, but it didn't really matter either way. He was in the mood for a good chase.

* * *

Ed was practically flying at the speed of sound; there was no way he was going to be late. Unfortunately, flora did not abide by the same physics that vampires did and essentially disintegrated the second he took off. Luckily, the chocolates were a little more speed resistant. They would be okay so long as he remembered not to come to a sudden stop, which would cause all of the chocolates to splatter their filling all over the box. The park itself wasn't far from where he and Jerry had stopped for the day, but the motel happened to be located closer to the far edge of the forest preserve and he had agreed to meet Mel near the northern entrance.

Any mortal visiting the park close enough to where Ed was running would report later seeing nothing but a running deer, as their brains had rationalized it, but of course that explanation failed to explain the inexplicable sound of a human voice, cursing the trees and miscellaneous forest flora and fauna that he had to keep dodging because it was too risky to use the trail. Ed definitely couldn't afford to even graze a tree at this point, he was that close, but the animals and exposed tree roots and random plant life appeared to have other plans for him because he'd already had to leap over a fluffle of bunnies and had almost tripped over a bush, straight into some poison ivy. Were vampires susceptible to poison ivy? It was something he would have to ask Jerry about later. Finally he burst out into a clearing and did a quick lap around the area to check for civilians and slow himself down. He took a few unnecessary gulps of air, which did nothing for the slight exhaustion he was feeling, and walked slowly the rest of the way.

"Fuck," he uttered under his breath, what was he going to say to her? This was going to be the first time seeing her in person, he didn't know what to say, and what if she asked about how his vampire hunt was going? Any trace remnants of Ed's former excitement had been replaced with feelings of self-loathing and utter dread. What if she had just been messing with him this whole time? What if she didn't show? Girls were cruel and mysterious creatures, there were so many ways that he could singlehandedly fuck this up. Ed almost considered leaving, but after dragging Jerry along with this lame idea, he had the feeling that any change of heart would result in his head being used as a flower pot.

"Be cool, be cool, just stay cool," he murmured. Unfortunately his attempts at calming down had the opposite effect. The calmer he was the more he became aware of his senses. With his vampiric instincts he could feel every heartbeat, every muscle twitch, every sign of life. God he was hungry.

But now wasn't the time for that. He had to go and meet Mel. Mel wasn't food. Mel was his precious angel who deserved so much better than a half-starved insane vampire staring at her like she was his next meal. She deserved a gentleman, someone cool and suave. Ed adjusted his shirt. In a way he was like a secret agent himself, so who better to play the role? He took two steps before he lost it. Who was he kidding? He wasn't cool, he was an awkward teenage nerd dork geek loser and being turned hadn't changed that one bit! If anything, it drew out the suffering by forcing him to stay this way forever. He didn't stand a chance, but if he could just get through this, then she would have to learn to love him after Jerry turned her.

Ed was trembling as he slowly made his way down the path.

"Breathe dude, she's just a girl." He could do this, he just had to woo her a little bit and she'd be his… forever. As he drew nearer to their meeting place, his enhanced senses allowed him to smell her although she was still a few meters away. On the wind was this soft scent of tropical flowers accompanied by the unmistakable scent of human mortality. As he got even closer he could feel her there. That static tingling at the edge of his senses, that electricity that kept all animals alive. Closer, he could feel the heat her body gave off, and closer still, he could feel the blood rushing through her veins. Why was he suddenly so hungry? Oh god, he was going to fuck this up. He needed to turn back, what was he thinking?  
"Eddie!" His eyes snapped upward toward the girl of his dreams, who was now wearing a slightly concerned look on her gorgeous features.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you? I promise I didn't mean it, I mean, I noticed you coming over and I was just going to wait, but then I got anxious and decided to just get up and say hi but then I came over and you look like you just about had a heart attack and now you're just staring blankly at me and I don't really know what to do so I'll just shut up and smile and hope you've paid no attention to a word I've been saying."

She had a beautiful smile.

"I can't believe you're real…"

"Pardon?" Ed straightened up and coughed,

"Nothing! Nothing! I mean, what I wanted to say was- Well what I'd meant to say-I-um, hi?" If she'd decided to just turn around and walk as far away from him as possible, Ed would be relieved.

"Hi!" She replied, blatantly ignoring the fog of awkward that was quickly settling around the pair. Ed was desperately grasping at any of his previous "cool vampire" confidence, but all of that was long gone. Before he could finish his attempt at stringing together words to form a coherent sentence, Melody spoke,

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves, properly, yes?" He nodded dumbly. "Right, so my name is Melanie Harper, I prefer being called either Melody or just Mel, if that's alright." She offered her hand to shake, "Dozo yoroshiku!" Ed took her hand a little too fast and gave it a light shake,

"I'm Edward Lee, just call me Ed or Eddie is fine too, I guess…"

"Lee? I thought your last name was Thompson?"

"Eh, no, that's just part of my pen name. Can't give those crazy internet weirdos my real name, who knows what they might do!" Mel nodded,

"So true. So did you want to go for a walk before we get absolutely destroyed by these mosquitos?" She asked, gesturing to the adjacent path. "We should have some time before it gets too bad. They do spray around here, but they can't kill them all." Ed had regained enough of his composure by this point to offer her his arm, something he'd seen on TV a few times, and then guide them both onto the path, into the woods.


	3. On the Road Again

**Chapter 2: On the Road Again**

He didn't know about the other two occupants of the truck, but Jerry felt absolutely fantastic! It had been a great day [night] for him. He got a chance to indulge in a little fast food, courtesy of an unfortunate jogger, and his meal even came with a free iPod! Afterwards, Jerry got to go on a little run of his own, after Ed's little girlfriend, filling him with all the pride and smugness found in the average casual runner. He was even tempted to get a FitBit, but even he could see that it was a pointless and overpriced piece of junk (that and his "condition" prevented him from really using one anyway). That aside, in contrast to Ed's grumpy attitude, Jerry was an absolute ray of sunshine this evening.

Ed, however, sat solemnly in the passenger seat, pouting, but Jerry paid no mind to his childe's woes; after all, he'd feel a lot better as soon as they got back to Vegas. Really, young Edward had no reason to be upset, in fact, Jerry was almost surprised the kid wasn't elated. After all, they had gotten the girl; so their little adventure didn't prove fruitless, but during her capture she had said a few choice words to them both, and while they had no effect on the elder vampire, having already heard it all before, Ed still seemed to be hanging off of every word.

The "angelic being" Ed had been ranting about for days turned out to just be an average girl, not that Jerry minded all that much. He didn't honestly believe that Ed had scored some kind of gorgeous supermodel, the way he'd made her seem, but he could already tell that she had a great personality because she was already doing one of his favorite things, which was being compliant during this god forsaken drive. The effects of chloroform don't actually last all that long once you remove the cloth so she had been out just long enough for them to bind and gag her and throw her in the truck before they got the hell outta dodge. She had been relatively understanding when Jerry explained that if she caused any trouble after all the effort it took to get to California and subsequently kidnap her that if she caused any trouble he was going to break several of her bones and personally use her as a portable blood supply for the next year. She hadn't said a word since. Smart girl. Not that she really could, considering they had taped her mouth shut, but she hadn't made an attempt to talk or complain so that was still worth some praise.

* * *

Ed was a mixture of anger and sorrow. He finally got to meet the girl of his dreams irl and she hated him. This was Jerry's fault; all of it. He just had to come in at the worst possible time. He was sure Mel would have understood if only Jerry had given him more time to explain. Then she wouldn't have run and she wouldn't have seen the leftovers of Jerry's "meal". As if that wasn't bad enough, the only reason she even saw the body was because she had tripped over it while Jerry was chasing her. Tonight was supposed to be perfect and Jerry ruined it.

Ed was afraid to look behind his seat at the girl he had worked so hard to retrieve. He didn't want to see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes. She deserved better. Much better than him. He almost wanted to cry, but not in front of Jerry; not in front of her. He just wanted to crawl into a little ball and hide somewhere. Bury himself deep underground where no one would ever find him.

Eventually the silence in the car became too much for even the master vampire and he switched on the radio, alternating between rock and roll and pop music with his mood. There weren't many stops once they hit the desert, but there was one lonely motel along the way that would provide adequate shelter throughout the day. One could say that Jerry was "friends" with the owner. Theirs was the only car parked in the dusty parking lot. To the naked, or human, eye, there were no signs of life for miles around. Jerry tasked Ed with prepping the girl while he went inside and got them a room. Fucking sadist. Ed sat silently in the passenger seat, not daring to move. He could feel her eyes on him, an impossible feat from her position. She hated him. He knew it. How could she not, considering everything that had occurred in the last nine hours? He had deceived her; betrayed her trust and hurt her. Why would Jerry do this to him? He desperately wanted to say something to her. Jerry would be coming out to see what was taking so long, but at this rate the sun would be up before he ever found the right words to say. Ed was considering sitting there until the sun came up but he figured that Jerry would stop him.

It was ages before he finally moved, getting out of the truck, but instead of grabbing Melanie he got their luggage out of the back and trudged inside, bag in each hand.

"Your girlfriend still in the truck?" Jerry asked, unconcerned.

"Yeah, she's 'sleeping'. I, uh, just didn't want to wake her." Jerry shrugged and handed Ed a room key.

"I'll carry her in then. Sorry for waking ya, Saul." The motel owner yawned and gave a tired grunt before retiring once more to his own room. Jerry watched him go, a friendly grin plastered on his face. The second he was out of sight, his gaze turned to Ed.

"What, she put up too much of a fight for ya?" He teased. When the kid didn't respond he shrugged and made his way out the door.

"By the way, there's only two beds."


	4. Cabin Fever

**Chapter 3: Cabin Fever**

* * *

Jerry dropped the, awake and perfectly capable of walking, but still bound, girl into a chair on the far side of the room, ignoring her pained grunt as she hit one of the arms. Ed cringed at the sound,

"Dude, what the hell?!" He cried, helping the girl right herself in the chair. The second she was situated, however, he seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly withdrew from her, retreating to the other side of the room where he had previously dumped their luggage and went about making himself busy by finishing his task of light-proofing the room.

"Well I see you're back to normal." Jerry quipped, watching the younger vampire move around the room. Ed didn't respond, but Jerry could see his facial expression sour. Today was certainly going to be interesting. Ed was working on setting up a blackout curtain over the window to thoroughly protect himself and Jerry from any stray rays of sunlight that weren't blocked by the cheap hotel blinds, a task that would have been much easier had Jerry not placed Mel right next to the end he needed to fasten the curtain to. Jerry held back a snicker, watching Ed tiptoe around his little girlfriend, trying so hard to avoid all physical contact, and almost jumping three feet in the air when he accidentally brushed against her left arm. They both heard her sharp inhale as he accidentally touched the spot she had landed on earlier.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry!" He reached out, but stopped himself from touching her, just watching her shake her head at him with a helpless expression on his face. He backed away from her and hurried to finish setting up the curtain.

"Oh, isn't this great you guys? It's like a little family vacation!" Jerry laughed, ignoring the tension in the room and pulling Ed in for a playful noogie. Of course, given the situation, neither Ed, nor their captive were really inclined to agree.

"We really should get out more often. After all, we've been so busy with renovations that we haven't had a day to ourselves in ages." He smoothed Ed's hair and released him. "So what do you think we should do tomorrow night before we go home, hm? I'll admit that the main even was rather dull, but I'm certainly looking forward to the after party." Ed snuck a glance at Melanie, who was staring blindly out into the darkness,

"You can go out, I really don't think we need to-"

"Of course I'll give you two some special time to get to know each other." Jerry cut him off. "I know a nice winery in the area and you two can finally have your perfect date that you've been going on about all week."

"Jerry."

"Just think about it. If you don't wanna party, I will happily leave you two out of it while I go and enjoy myself." Jerry's voice got low, "But I think you're gonna want some time alone anyway so you two can talk. The wine'll just make it a little easier for her to see your side of all this." Sending a longing glance at Melanie, Ed licked his suddenly very dry lips,

"Thanks Jerry." The master vampire ruffled his childe's hair.

"I'm just looking out for ya, kid. But for now, we're gonna have to do something to accommodate our little guest. After all, it's summer and the days aren't what I'd call short." Ed nodded. Out of courtesy for the human, Jerry turned on a lap to provide some illumination before kneeling before her chair.

"Alright, girly," he started. Her head snapped up. her eyes glaring a hole into whatever he had in place of a soul. A wide, friendly grin was plastered on his face. " Here's the deal, I'm only going to explain this to you once, so listen carefully. Next door, you see, there is a lovely family of three. A daddy, a mommy, and their tiny little baby. Now, you see, the husband just stepped out to go and find someplace to eat, leaving them all alone and unprotected. Now, if you don't think you'll be able to keep yourself from screaming once I remove the gag, you'll have to let me know right now because I don't wanna be forced to kill them both just so they don't find out about you, the little runaway who is taking refuge here with your boyfriend, okay?" Ed didn't miss the way Melanie had started trembling in what could have been a mixture of fear and anger. He could definitely smell both on her.

"Nod your head if you understand me." Jerry's smile widened when the girl gave a stiff nod.

"Good, now are you going to scream?" She shook her head. "Good girl." He wiped away the single tear that had managed to escape her eyes. It was taking a hefty amount of restraint to resist biting her right now. Every time he inhaled to speak he found himself drowning in the pure raw emotion that was radiating from her. Had Ed not been in the room, chances were Jerry would have already been buried fang deep in her neck. He could give her a few more hours of humanity. She had been good so far and Jerry liked to see himself as a generous pack leader. He had already done more than enough for Ed by even agreeing on this trip, he just hoped the girl proved to be worth it when they returned home. Ignoring how she flinched at his touch, his hand gently found its way to her knee, stroking her leg in a mockery of a soothing action. He gave her a sympathetic look and let his other hand stroke her cheek. Ed stood on the other side of the room, feeling a sharp pang of jealousy stir inside of him. He longed to be the one to comfort her and tell her that everything was okay and that she didn't need to be afraid, and he should be, she was supposed to be his after all, but thanks to the events of less than twelve hours ago, she hated him, he was sure of it. But tomorrow would be different. Once she was turned she would be able to see how great it was, and how great Jerry was. Finally, staring at her face, he began to remember his fantasy. Still in her dress from last night, he began to imagine how beautiful she would look ripping out Amy's throat. Her dress was a bright red, but he was sure the dark crimson would provide a lovely accent to it. Those deep chocolate eyes that were still glaring at Jerry, filled with hate would look magnificent focused on him and filled with adoration. His eyes travelled downward to where Jerry's hand had moved up her thigh, he wondered just how soft her skin was. He was very tempted to test it out, but a sudden straining in his pants snapped him out of his stupor and made him rush to the bathroom before he had the opportunity to embarrass himself further.

Jerry snickered, hearing the bathroom lock click and smelling the scent of his childe's arousal.

"You know, maybe you can tell me why he's so smitten with you," Jerry muttered. Her anger seemed to die down a bit upon hearing that, only to rise again as the hand that was stroking her cheek ripped the duct tape from her lips. Jerry watched, amused as she almost cried out, but remembering his threat she quickly turned her head to the side and settled for sobbing quietly into the back of the chair.

"It's baffling just how obsessed he is with you. He wouldn't shut up until I agreed to drive all the way out to California to get you." Jerry stood up, "He went on for days about what a magnificent angel you were. You two hadn't even met outside of the internet and he knew he had to have you." She was too busy trying to compose herself to respond.

"Hey, it's okay." Jerry grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "It's not so bad, you'll have so much fun with us. Everyday will be like a grand adventure." She shook her head, as much as she could, as he was holding her tightly against his chest.

"No? C'mon, what's the matter?"

"I want to go home." She whispered as quietly as she could. But Jerry heard it.

"Oh, but you are home, or at least you will be once we return tomorrow. It'll be you, me, Ed, and all of your other brothers and sisters. A big happy family."

"Please let me go," she begged.

"Go where, Sweetheart? There's nowhere for you to go. You belong with us now." If anything, the girl began to cry harder, thoroughly soaking Jerry's shirt. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay baby, I'm a good daddy. You can ask Ed." She began to struggle hard, "All you need to do is be good."

"Let go of me!" He let her fall back against the chair. He sat opposite her, on the bed.

"Since that's established, I can untie you now, if you would prefer." She refused to look at him.

"Would you like that?" She remained silent.

"Your loss. Though I'm going to ask Saul to find you something to eat, and actually eating is going to be a little difficult without the use of your arms. That is, unless you want me or Ed to feed you." She looked straight up at him. Tears still rolling down her cheeks, but nothing but anger in her eyes.

"Well?"

"Fine." She bit out. If possible, his smile got wider.

"Ask nicely." She glared at him. "C'mon, it shouldn't be too hard."

"... Please untie me."

"No."

"What?"

"That's not good enough."

"I asked nicely."

"It didn't sound sincere enough for my tastes. Oh, I know, say 'please untie me daddy'." The horrified look on her face was was enough for Jerry to know that he was definitely going to enjoy this one for a while.

"I'm waiting." She shook her head violently.

"Alright then, you can just stay there like that until your arms fall off."

"Please untie me." she muttered, adding "daddy" as quietly as she could, but of course that just wasn't good enough to satisfy Jerry.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He feigned ignorance.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she cried, suddenly. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"I need all of my children to be absolutely loyal to me. The faster you learn your place, the better. Of course, if you don't want to say it, then I can think of other ways for you to persuade me that don't involve speaking." Ah, the fear had returned. He watched as her head dropped as she forced herself to say the words,

"Please untie me daddy." she sobbed. Oh this was great. The way her voice cracked at the end made this sound much more erotic than it needed to be. Then again, considering what he was making her say, it already sounded kinky to begin with. Still, he almost wished he had gotten a recording of that one, but he'd get a lot more out of her than that. From what he could tell, Ed, still 'relieving himself' in the bathroom, had enjoyed the sound of that too.

"Good girl." Jerry made quick work of the ropes on her torso and wrists, then kneeled down to undo her ankles. Once he had finished he sat up so he was eye level with his captive.

"Now. what do you say?"

"Please just leave me alone.

"Don't be rude, what do you say when people do nice things for you?"

"I'm going to throw up."

"Oh, now don't do that. Ed's still occupying the bathroom and I think that'll make that poor baby next door start crying, and lord knows, his poor mother surely needs her rest."

"Thank you, daddy." She bit out.

"Now give me a kiss." For a split second, Jerry was actually worried as she actually looked like she was going to vomit, but of course, he didn't budge.

"You're insane."

"The general human definition of sanity no longer applies after the first century. Now, give daddy a kiss," his voice dropped down low, "or do you want daddy to give you a spanking?" More tears welled in her eyes, and she gripped the arms of the chair. He could almost see her physically having to swallow her pride, or just her bile, as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before curling into a ball in the chair and hiding her face.

Jerry stood up straight and gave the girl a quick pat on the head,

"The others are just going to love you." He walked away from the girl and gave the bathroom door a light knock,

"I'm stepping out for a bit, you're in charge until I get back."

A full minute after he had left, the door to the bathroom slowly creaked open, and Ed, his face much redder than usual, appeared. For the longest time, he stayed near the door, in case he needed to make a quick escape, but finally,

"You know, he's not that bad once you get used to him." He dared to take a few more steps into the room. "He used to heckle me a lot too, even made me call him master for a while, until he decided it was too archaic, now he only makes me call him that when... " He stopped and just prayed she still too distressed to pay any attention to his ramblings. As he gained more courage, he took a few more steps closer.

"Are you… gonna be okay?" He was close enough to touch her now.

"Hey, listen to me, it's going to be alright. After today, everything'll be just perfect." He slowly reached out but just as his fingertips brushed her shoulder she lashed out at him. He caught her arm before she could hit him and then her other arm before she could punch him in the face.

"Calm down."

"You want me to calm down?" Her voice was rising. "I've been fucking kidnapped by two murdering psychopaths, and you want me to calm down? I don't know what he did to you, Ed, and I'm truly sorry I couldn't have been there for you, but you are not boy I fell in love with, not anymore, now let go of me!" He quickly released her wrist, only to use his free hand to cover her mouth.

"The baby." He reminded her. Immediately both of them fell still, as he tried to listen for any crying. Honestly, as far as he could tell, they were the only ones in the motel minus the manager, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

"I think we're okay." She responded by yanking her hand out of his grip and relocating herself to a corner. Ed tried not to feel too down, she'd understand later that night. Girls were complicated creatures. All he had to do was wait her out. He breathed in with the intention of sighing but then he froze. Again he felt that static and the electromagnetic pulse that was her life. With all of the recent excitement, Ed had forgotten how hungry he was.


	5. Hunger Games

**Chapter 4: Hunger Games**

The best way to remedy this situation would be to return to the bathroom, lock the door, and wait until Jerry returned; of course, there was nothing Ed would have liked to do more except for the fact he physically could not bring himself to move from that spot. He had stopped breathing altogether, not that he had really needed to in the first place, but her scent lingered in his brain. Despite being one of Jerry's oldest children, and holding the record for having the most self control out of all of them, he was still a newborn and was basically a slave to his instincts. This was especially true when he was _starving_.

Vampires, again, like humans, were subject to Maslow's Hierarchy, in which, if the basic needs aren't met then the body ultimately fails. Even the most basic of animals will defy all logic for the sake of food, vampires, especially, are not exempt. The more he tried to ignore it, the louder the sound of Melanie's blood became, echoing in his ears. Besides Saul, she was the only one alive in maybe a two-mile radius and she was so close… He could feel every breath she took, every beat of her heart, the heat radiating from her body; he wanted to rip her to shreds. She wasn't looking at him, she probably hadn't even noticed anything was wrong. In an instant he could be on her, his fangs sheathed in her flesh… Oh god he was drooling. But he couldn't even bring himself to move enough to wipe it away. But the thought of hurting her left a pang of nagging guilt in the back of his mind. Also, he doubted Jerry would be too happy with him, he reasoned. But if he didn't want something to happen, then he wouldn't have left the two of them alone, his inner beast argued back, though he doubted that killing her was the type of thing that Jerry was hoping for. For the longest time, neither of them moved.

The door burst open and in came Jerry, a container of food in his hand. He certainly didn't expect any fanfare, but he also didn't expect for both the girl and Ed to jump a few feet in the air. He could practically feel the tension in the room; this was not what he had hoped would happen while he was away, but it was something he could work with.

"Breakfast, children," he called sweetly. Neither of them moved. He sighed and placed the container on the desk.

"Okay, you," he crossed the room and seized Melanie's arm, hauling her to her feet, "don't get to sulk all day. Eat your breakfast and start thinking about what you'd like for a last meal, like all the real prisoners do, you know, since you insist on being one." He pushed her off toward the desk. "And you," he motioned to Ed, "come here." Ed didn't move, his eyes shifting just enough to see Jerry bite into his own wrist. The scent of blood filled the air and Ed gave an involuntary gasp feeling it hit him. In an instant Jerry was on the bed with Ed, viciously attacking his arm. Melanie was watching the scene in more fear than disgust and Jerry just shrugged as this was a pretty normal occurrence.

"Did you want some too?" Jerry offered his other arm. Melanie's face contorted into pure disgust as she finally pulled her eyes away from the scene in front of her and stared at her food.

"You will later." Jerry sang, turning his attention to the, much calmer, Ed and quietly stroked the kid's hair as he desperately lapped up blood from the closing wound. He smirked at the sound of the girl retching at the thought. Pulling his wrist away from Ed's greedy mouth, Jerry soon replaced it with his own, before retreating just as quickly, not giving Ed the opportunity to whine about the fact that he was doing this in with Melanie in the near vicinity.

The day was spent surprisingly peacefully, with Melanie trying her best to ignore Ed despite Jerry's insistence that the two needed to kiss and make up and Ed going back to sulking and staring longingly at Mel while daydreaming. Jerry was happily enjoying the quality time together, who knew when things would be this peaceful again? Occasionally Melanie would shift about to go be human in the bathroom. She would be lying if she didn't say that she was tempted to stay in there, but she was too afraid of what would happen when she was inevitably forced to come back out. With the majority of the day spent in this strange caricature of normalcy, midday found Ed curled up on one bed, Jerry lounging on the other, and their captive, finally falling victim to exhaustion.

"That can't be comfortable." Jerry stated, looking down at Melanie, drifting off in the corner.

"What do you care?"

"Now, now. I thought we'd taken care of that attitude." He chastised. She very quickly shut her mouth before it got her in more trouble.

"There's plenty of space with Ed over there on the bed."

"I prefer my corner."

"Melanie." Said girl was feeling a strong desire to rip his tongue out as his voice took a stern fatherly tone. "Go to bed." She didn't move.

"Melanie."

"Not with him there."

"Your options are either him or me, though I guess I wouldn't mind the company." He replied, patting the space next to him. A grin spread across his face as he watched her eyebrows knit together in anger and her face contort into a weak glare, but she did as she was told nonetheless. Again, Jerry was sure that she was going to be his favorite. She was probably the most agreeable child he'd dealt with so far.

Melanie somehow managed to place herself at the far end of the bed, as far away from Ed as possible without touching him and tried to relax. Jerry could almost taste her burning hatred for him as she laid there, her eyes squeezed shut. Every so often she would twitch, her apprehension preventing her from relaxing. She would give in eventually. After all, she was only human.

But not for much longer.


	6. Recounting

**Chapter 5: Recounting**

* * *

Melanie awoke first, dazed and confused. She couldn't remember where she was or why. She was still wearing her dress, she remembered going to meet Eddie... That was right. Ed had tricked her. She rolled over and there he was, still sound asleep. Must be part of the whole "vampires sleep during the day" thing. Her heart hurt. He had told her he loved her, that she was one of the greatest lights in his life. Was that all a lie? She had promised to be by his side, even though they had been separated by miles of land. She was there for him when his ex- best friend, Charley, had ditched him, and when his other friend, Adam, had gone missing. She was with him in spirit when this whole crazy vampire thing had started, never doubting his commitment, never thinking him insane. It was a little less than a week ago he had told her that he had actually gotten Charley to investigate with him. He was so excited. It was the first time since Adam's disappearance that she had seen him so giddy. And then he never came back. He didn't contact her again, he didn't respond to her worried messages. He was just gone. Gone from her life. She had just assumed that he was dead. Imagine her excitement when she looked at her phone and there was his face.

It was her own fault, really. She knew something was off the whole time. After days of being dead to the world he suddenly messages her, claiming to have left the whole vampire thing behind him and wanting to see her. It was too good to be true, but she so desperately wanted to finally see him. Maybe rub it in her own friends' faces that her internet boyfriend wasn't a 30+ year old creeper who was only into her because she was a young naive girl willing to blindly listen to his insane ramblings.

She didn't want to say that she loved him; she supposed she didn't know what love was. At least not in the romantic sense. She loved her parents, her little brother, her friends, but those all felt so different to how she felt about Eddie. She liked, and deeply cared for him, that was something she could say. She worried about him when he got into his little moods where he holed himself up in his room for days on end without speaking to even his parents. She acted as his voice of reason whenever he went on his fanatical raves, when he would get so physically and emotionally into _something_ that he threw away all else until he was satisfied. In turn he was always kind to her. Whenever he shut himself down, she was the only one he would let in. He liked to call her his angel. Without her, due to his obsessive personality, he could have caused serious damage to himself and his friendships. She was there for him more than his parents. They didn't take the time to understand him like she did. They supported him, yes, but they worked so hard to keep themselves out of his space. Healthy boundaries were essential between parents and their children, but with them, it was a thousand foot reinforced steel wall. They made an effort to stay out of his life. They praised his achievements, they worshipped him, but they put him on a pedestal to gaze down at them and their droll little lives; they kept him far, far away. It's always so lonely at the top. Her parents always gave her love. More than enough to spare. Giving it so freely was her weakness.

He went such a long way just to see her. He was the one who had suggested they meet up at that park. She had thought it was so romantic at the time. He had told her he was going to be in town, that it would be the perfect time to meet. It was, but for other reasons.

It was dark. The last rays of sunlight were still retreating from the horizon, but the dense foliage surrounding the little bench where she sat sheltered her from the fading brilliance of twilight. She was way too early, but she was anxious, and had she decided to stare into the mirror any longer she would've gone insane. The rapidly cooling air wasn't what was making her shiver, it was the liquid excitement that was racing through her veins. Every scamper and scurry of even the smallest woodland creature made her jump. She didn't know how she was going to introduce herself, of even if she really needed to. She had been talking to him online for ages now. They already knew everything about each other. Her every heartbeat was felt like agony in her chest. The seconds were passing far too slowly. She tried watching squirrels, bugs, she even tried striking up conversation with a neighborhood jogger, passing by. For a moment she considered jogging with her, just to burn off some extra energy, but decided against it, not wanting mess up her hours of primping to get her look to just the right level of perfect. She wanted so hard to be the angel he thought she was. After a literal eternity, she shivered. It was not excitement this time. She couldn't explain how, but she could feel someone staring at her from behind. It was him, it had to be him. After smoothing her dress for the thousandth time, she stood. And slowly turned.

She couldn't see him too well, but she knew it was him. Who else would it be? Of course, it could be a serial killer, after all, it was California, but she didn't care. She was far too hyped to give in to things like logical concerns. Slowly she walked toward him, trying very hard to balance on uneven terrain in her heels. He seemed a bit… off. Or maybe he was just shocked? She was hoping it was the latter. A few more steps, he didn't seem like he was really looking at her anymore. She was right in front of him. Well this was awkward.

"Eddie!" She had meant for that to come out as a question, but she somehow managed to sound a little too excited. Oh dear. It appeared that that had snapped him out of whatever weird coma he was in though. Quick, Mel. Start a conversation! Do something normal! Oh crap, what do people do when they meet someone for the first time, but not really for the first time?

"I'm sorry, did I startle you? I promise I didn't mean it, I mean, I noticed you coming over and I was just going to wait, but then I got anxious and decided to just get up and say hi but then I came over and you look like you just about had a heart attack and now you're just staring blankly at me and I don't really know what to do so I'll just shut up and smile and hope you've paid no attention to a word I've been saying." Yep. Totally nailed it. In order to keep up what little image she had left, she decided to stand up straight and smile, like she had been taught in primary school.

"I can't believe you're real…" The confusion and shock on his face migrated to hers, as his slowly melted into a dumb grin.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing! Nothing! I mean, what I wanted to say was- Well what I'd meant to say-I-um, hi?"

"Hi!" And more awkward silence.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves, properly, yes?" He nodded. Good sign. "Right, so my name is Melanie Harper, I prefer being called either Melody or just Mel, if that's alright." She offered her hand to shake, "Dozo yoroshiku!" Ed eagerly grabbed her hand and gave it a shake.

"I'm Edward Lee, just call me Ed or Eddie is fine too, I guess…" She frowned,

"Lee? I thought your last name was Thompson?"

"Eh, no, that's just part of my pen name. Can't give those crazy internet weirdos my real name, who knows what they might do!" She nodded,

"So true. So did you want to go for a walk before we get absolutely destroyed by these mosquitos?" She asked, gesturing to the adjacent path. "We should have some time before it gets too bad. They do spray around here, but they can't kill them all." He offered her his arm, like a real gentleman, and her inner voice 'squee'ed a little bit as she took it and he guided her down the path. Melanie was in heaven. Absolute heaven. She could die right now and everything would be all right.

"So, uh, how've you been? We haven't talked in a while. Things've been pretty busy… with me… yeah."

"Oh, I've been fine. What about you? What happend with your vampire thing? Did you and Charley run him out of town? Did you find Adam?" She was getting kind of cold now. She tried staying close to him for warmth, but it didn't help much. All it did was make her heart flutter.

"Um, yeah, about that. I've been meaning to.. I mean there's something important I have to tell you about that…"

"He wasn't a vampire? What was he? Oooh, I bet he was a warlock, wasn't he? You know I read a book about them once. So how'd you deal with him, huh?"

"Eeeeh, actually, he was a vampire… And he wasn't that bad of a guy… Uh… he was actually pretty... cool. He's really cool. He taught me some stuff… and… well... " Ed went quiet.

"Well?" She urged.

"Melanie…"

"Neh?"

"He… he turned me." She immediately let go of him and jumped back. No, there was no way.

"Why… how?"

"No, no, no, Mel, listen, it's not that bad. Actually it's totally rad!" He gave her a thumbs up, to emphasize its 'radness'.

"Eddie, no, that's not cool, or… rad… or whatever. It's bad, really bad. You don't know what this kind of thing does to people!" She dodged his embrace as he came at her.

"Mel, come on, you don't know either. It's great! I can do anything! Listen, we got a hotel over a mile away, and it took minutes for me to run here! Dude, if I really try, I can almost fly! I'm super fast and super strong, and it's just amazing! And we're not like those wimpy vampire in Twilight, either!"

"Eddie, no." She was backing away from him.

"And when Jerry turns you too, we can finally be together forever!"

"Ed, no!" She covered her mouth, trying to take back the volume of her voice. She squeezed her eyes shut. No… Just no.

"Mel, c'mon."

"Eddie… Did you… Have you…"

"What? Mel, please talk to me!"

"Do you kill people?"

"Mel…"

"Ed!"

"Well, yeah, but it's no one important!" She shook her head. And just like that, her world was crashing down around her. This couldn't be real. Ed was just sick. That weird guy had made him join a cult or something! She jumped as she backed into a tree. She turned, only to find that it wasn't a tree at all. It was a man. He was taller than Ed, he had similar dark hair, but unlike Ed, he radiated danger.

"Melanie, this is Jerry." The man smiled, fangs somehow illuminating in the darkness.

"Monster." She whispered, more to herself than either of them. "YOU'RE A MONSTER!"

"Mel!" Ed, grabbed her arm, but she yanked it away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" She was hysterical.

"Mel, this isn't what you think!" She didn't know what to think. She was just done with this. She ran. As if running on a dirt floor in heels wasn't hard enough, but she had to try to avoid trees and the occasional stray root, but she was managing. At least she was, until she tripped over a rather large… something. She was on the ground, feeling around, trying to pick herself back up again when she froze. Her hand had hit something wet… and soft… A dead animal? She scrambled for her phone, trying to get some light, and when she finally turned it on, she screamed. A face stared back at her. Eyes, blank, face contorted to reflect their final moments of terror. Oh God… She had never contemplated religion until now, but whatever deity was out there, she needed help. Tears welled in her eyes. This couldn't be happening. There was no possible way this was actually happening… A twig snapped behind her and she jumped, pushing herself against a tree. This was insane.

"Mel, please just listen." Ed begged, stepping around sapling. "We're not gonna hurt you."

"But you so eagerly hurt other people? Ed, how could you!"

"They're just strangers. It's not as if they'd give a fuck if something happened to me!"

"Eddie, I'm a stranger, remember? I just met you for the first time in person and…"

"It's not the same!"

"IT IS THE SAME. IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME, EDDIE! YOU'RE KILLING PEOPLE! YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE, YOU SAID WE WOULD MAKE THEM SEE… We were going to make them see…"

"And they will see. They'll all see how great we are. Together. You just gotta come with us and we'll live like gods among men. You'll see."

"YOU'RE A MONSTER! YOU DID THIS, WHAT KIND OF DECENT PERSON DOES THIS? YOU'RE A SOCIOPATH!" A cloth was shoved over her mouth and nose before she could continue. She tried to scream, but with every breath she took in more of the chemicals on the rag. Her limbs flew wildly out to all sides, trying to free herself, but to no avail. She was vaguely aware that she was being dragged backwards.

"Shhh, darling, shhhh." She tried to scream, hearing this unfamiliar voice behind her, but it only succeeded to inhibit her more. As her vision started to get blurry, all she could focus on was Ed's fading silhouette.

* * *

Jerry cast a glance over at the other bed. Melanie was facing him, staring at nothing. Either that or she had trained herself to sleep with her eyes open. Behind her, Ed shifted in his sleep. They really made a cute couple when forced to get along. He only wished she had lived closer so as to save them a trip. The sun would be going down in a few hours. She wouldn't be getting much rest for a while after that. It wasn't that much farther to Vegas, and once there, who knew what would happen?


	7. Family Bonding

**Chapter 6: Family Bonding**

* * *

"Family meeting!" Jerry almost sang. The response was a collective groan from the kids still in bed.

"C'mon you two, we have an exciting night ahead of us!" As expected, Ed obediently sat up, and his girlfriend chose to roll over and hide her face under a pillow. Jerry rolled his eyes at the human.

"You have no one to blame but yourself for not going to bed earlier," he chided. Melanie's response was to chuck her pillow at him and steal Ed's, who seemed to be in a state of shock after finally realizing just how close Melanie had been to him for the past few hours. Jerry dodged the pillow with ease, standing and striding over to where the girl was lying with her back to him.

"If you want, we can have all of our fun right here." Jerry lightly ran his fingertips over one of Melanie's exposed legs and then caught the resulting kick she sent his way. With impressive skill she managed to twist her body with her leg still in his grip and use her arms to launch herself upward to aim a kick at his face, which he dodged, resulting in the girl almost landing on the floor, if only Jerry had not kept his grip on her leg. Ed figured he should do something before Jerry decided to give her something that wouldn't heal, but before he could act he found himself transfixed on the hem of her dress, barely managing to resist the pull of gravity from her upside down position. He could have sworn his barely-beating heart had somehow skipped one.

Jerry rolled his eyes, this was the thing about teens, they were slaves to their hormones, and while usually he loved to take advantage of that fact, now was the least opportune moment.

"Ed, would you calm down, she's wearing shorts." At this Ed finally reached the point where his heart stopped and he dropped dead of embarrassment, or at least he wished he did. Melanie, still squirming in Jerry's grasp, paid no mind to the sound of Ed falling off of the bed and was more focused on trying to position herself for another assault. Before she could, however, Jerry flung her onto the bed he had been previously occupying.

"Now that the two of you are awake, we have a few details to settle before we start on tonight's itinerary. So, assuming that a certain someone is going to be on their best behavior, we will be going into the city before heading home. Because I am still in a surprisingly generous mood, I'll give our little 'guest' a chance to pick where she wants to go." Jerry gestured over to the girl still lying facedown on his bed, " given any thought to your last meal?"

Melanie slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and was seriously debating whether or not she should actually answer or just flip the crazy bastard off.

"And no buffets, by the way," Jerry added. Melanie rolled her eyes. She somewhat wondered what would happened if she asked for his heart on a plate.

"Italian," she answered finally. The sudden laugh that followed from Jerry almost sent her off the bed in fear.

"The myths are wrong, kid. Garlic doesn't work on us, if that's what you're thinking." That actually wasn't what she was thinking at all, she just really wanted chicken parmesan.

"Whatever."

Ed, still on the floor in the corner, blanched. While garlic didn't quite repel vampires, the smell was still rather unpleasant for their enhanced senses. He would brave it for his angel, though. He would go through hell and high water to be alone with her in close quarters. They desperately needed to talk. He needed to explain everything to her.

"Alright, it's settled then." Jerry clapped his hands in satisfaction, "we're all going to have a nice night on the town!" His excitement was not at all mirrored by his 'children', but that didn't matter. Right now what mattered, he turned his gaze over the the girl, "you need a new dress," he stated.

"What's wrong with this one?" She questioned, her voice betraying her current disposition.

"I'm assuming your parents saw you before you left home, right? We'll need to get you a new outfit on the way."

"I really hope 'on the way' means a nearby store and not off a conveniently murdered bystander." Jerry cocked an eyebrow,

"Ed, why don't you go put everything in the truck, while your girl and I have a little chat?" Jerry's pleasant facade did not fool Ed one bit, but he trusted Jerry enough not to hurt her too much when they had already made it this far, and thus did not worry and instead dragged the suitcases out into the hall like a good little boy.

Jerry watched as the door shut with a soft 'click' and waiting until Ed was a good ways away before speaking.

"You're acting out quite a bit today, something the matter?" A variety of emotions overcame the girl's face before she finally seemed to settle on a mixture of anger and disbelief,

"I've been kidnapped by psychopaths, literally EVERYTHING is the matter!"

"Do you need a hug?" Jerry offered. Another pillow was flung in his direction in return, though this time he caught it. "I'm just trying to help."

"You can help me by letting me go home," she bit out.

"And miss Vegas?" Anymore of this and she was going to scream, he could tell, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to stop before she reached that point. This was entertaining, after all.

"Ed's been looking forward to this, do you really wanna break that kid's heart?" She opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off, "I mean, you were doing so well in the beginning, but if you keep on the way you've been keeping on, I'll be forced to do something we're all going to regret." She went to reply and again he cut her off, "you know what's interesting about us? We are very, very, very hard to kill. I've been stabbed, staked, and gutted, but you know what? It all healed. I've even been crucified for a time." He chuckled. "And after enough time, the sun doesn't even do that much damage anymore." His black eyes met her, horrified, brown ones. "One bite starts the process. It gets that venom into your veins. And once that's in your system, it eats away at your body for hours, days, years, until you finally succumb. And how long that takes, is entirely up to me." He reached out and let a clawed hand rest on her shoulder. "The more venom in your system, the faster you turn, and the faster you lose everything that made you human. The slower it goes, the more pain you feel. That gnawing hunger and the moral conflict of betraying your humanity to feed your base instincts." He knelt down so he was eyelevel with her. "You're a good girl, I know I don't have to tell you this, but one hair out of line tonight," his grip on her shoulder tightened, "and I will break you, okay?"

She didn't respond.

"Okay?" He said a little more firmly, his grip getting to be painful. Finally she nodded, her eyes never leaving his.

"Say it," he demanded.

"Yes, Daddy."

Jerry let go of her and made his way toward the door,

"You have five minutes to 'powder your nose' and get yourself together before we leave. Don't make me have to come after you," he warned before leaving her alone.

For the longest time, Melanie couldn't move. She wanted to cry again, but that wouldn't do much good, and the last thing she needed was for Ed to ask her what had happened. She was going to suffer whether she behaved or not, she thought to herself, her gaze turning to the nightstand.

The singular maid at that lonely motel picked the complementary bible off of the bed where it had been resting, and, out of curiosity, opened it up to take a peak. A smirk formed on her lips as she caught a glance at the desperate cry for help that had been left there and she stowed it away for when the family eventually offered a reward.


	8. Twilight

**Chapter 7: Twilight**

* * *

The good news was, at least Melanie got her chicken parmesan. That was pretty much the high of her week right there. The new dress was also nice; even nicer since it didn't come with the murder of the store clerk who kept the place open a few more minutes since she thought Jerry was cute. That said, it wasn't really her style, not that she was going to complain aloud. It fit the aesthetic that could only be found in Vegas, and that was exactly what Jerry had wanted. Although Melanie felt otherwise, she fit right in with the Vegas crowd. Sitting across from Ed, her third glass of white wine in her hand, courtesy of Jerry, this was almost a nice date. Ed had been rather silent throughout the majority of their dinner, choosing to mostly watch her rather than to eat, himself. Not that he really needed to, of course. Melanie was almost glad that for the first time in the last twenty-four hours she had finally gotten some peace, though she couldn't help but wonder what Ed was thinking.

Gods she was beautiful. Her posture was straight and dignified, though her head began to tip slightly to the side the more she drank. She seemed to be enjoying herself, Ed mused. Though it could have just been the booze. He really needed to talk to her, but he desperately didn't want to ruin this moment. He had spent so long fantasizing about their first date, her smile, their conversation. If only they had been brought together under better circumstances. She hadn't even looked at him since they had arrived at the restaurant, and his every attempt to speak was immediately lost in his throat for fear of her reaction.

Jerry was lurking somewhere, neither of them really knew where, though Ed could probably find him if he cared enough to put forth the effort. Chances were, he was grabbing "dinner" himself since they were in town. Ed had gotten a bite when they had arrived, and, most likely it would be his last bit of something "fresh" for a while. The second they got back, it'd be all about the others and their needs, as well as Mel's wellbeing. If she resented him now, Ed feared that it would not be much better once she was changed. Much like his completely justified anger toward Charley, even if she accepted the gift she may never forgive him.

"We need to talk." It was now or never.

"Do you want the last roll, or can I have it?" She asked, pouring herself another glass. Ed blinked in confusion,

"Um, yeah, go ahead…?" She hummed in response and took the last roll from the basket on the table.

"Listen, can we just talk about this?" He tried again. She swallowed the bit of bread in her mouth before replying,

"About what?"

"This."

"Vague."

"You know, everything!" he gestured randomly, hoping to get his point across.

"Well," she began. "Considering the ever expanding universe, 'everything' is still a rather large range of topics."

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

"Listen, I'm sorry." Melanie rolled her eyes, but kept eating.

"I didn't want to hurt you, I just wanted you to experience this. To be free, like me." He searched her face for some kind of understanding, only to find indifference.

"It's good, I promise. Nothing can ever hurt us, or tell us what to do ever again!"

"Except for Jerry." She put down her glass and folded her hands on the table in front of her, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, he wouldn't, I mean…." Ed sputtered, faltering under her scrutinizing gaze. "There's no reason to be afraid of him, he's a great guy, really… He made me strong, Mel, he saved me. And he's going to do the same for you."

"But I don't want to be 'saved'."

"That's because you don't know what it's like. I was that way too, but that'll change." They both were silent for a moment as Ed unconsciously shrunk back a little. Something about her had changed after he said that. Her scent was… off; the way it washed over him, he felt that he was about to be suffocated by what could only be described as pure rage.

"Who gave you the right to decide for me?" As a vampire, he believed he had nothing to fear. He was at the top of the food chain, but he was afraid now. Her voice was chillingly calm. Ed suddenly lost all confidence to speak, though he knew the answer in his head, his conviction wasn't as strong as it was before. She was his, or at least she was supposed to be. He wasn't as sure anymore.

"You don't know me, Edward; you don't love me, you're in love with a fantasy. If you cared for me even a miniscule amount, you'd let me go, but you won't."

"I-I can't!"

"You won't. You refuse to let go of this insane notion, that this is somehow good for me, and that you know what's best for my wellbeing." The conversation came to a halt as Melanie refilled her glass with the remainder of the bottle. And returned to her previous activity, which was finishing off the last roll. Though from Ed's perspective, it seemed as though she was holding a grudge against the bread the way she was tearing at it, but he knew the problem she had was really with him.

Sometimes Ed wished that being a vampire gave him superpowers. Jasper's ability to calm those around him, or Corin's, to make people content, or even Chelsea's, to forge bonds, all sounded incredibly useful right at this moment. Alas, life was not like Twilight, which he definitely hadn't read, not even once let alone three times. Vampires were real, sure, but the lack of a cool magical aspect was a bit of a disappointment. Now that he thought about it, not burning in the sun would've been pretty cool too. He didn't mind sparkling like thousands of diamonds, it really didn't sound that bad. In the back of his mind Ed somewhat wondered if Mel would go with him to see Breaking Dawn: Part I in theaters when this was all over. He was curious as to how Bella's pregnancy would be portrayed on the screen… Not that he had read the book or anything. Ed ripped from this thoughts as Melanie, with some effort, stood up.

"Ah, wait-!" Ed stood as well, grabbing her arm before she could stumble away. Melanie yanked her arm out of his grasp and steadied herself on the table.

"I'm not running away, I need a smoke."

"You don't smoke!" Melanie grabbed the glass on the table and flung its contents at her date, who was able to dodge just enough that the wine soaked his backside instead of his front. Ed stood there in shock for the longest time, watching his angel storm away. How could everything have gone so wrong?

Once he had recovered Ed gave the waiter all the cash Jerry had lent him before finally following Mel outside. By the time he got there, somehow Melanie had already produced a cigarette and a lighter and was struggling to combine the two.

"I didn't know you smoked," Ed muttered, mostly to himself, turning his back to her and desperating wishing that Jerry would come and save him. This wasn't at all what he had imagined.

"I could say the same for you, Edward," he heard her say. He was about to ask her what she meant, somewhat happy that she was still talking to him, when he noticed the fire licking at the bottom of his suit. The alcohol proved an excellent accelerant, and true to the laws of vampires governing this universe, he lost his shit.

Vaguely, in his haze of panic, he could hear someone calling for help.


	9. New Moon

**Chapter 8: New Moon**

* * *

Ed felt as if he were floating among the clouds. Everything was bright and pleasant and wonderful. He felt no pain, no hunger, and for the first time in days, he felt warm. Unfortunately this obviously meant that he was dead, he concluded.

"I'd be happy to give you a second chance, you know." Someone was speaking. He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, but he knew it was close. Ed struggled to open his eyes and was met with more brightness, for lack of a better word. He had to close his eyes again, it was so bright; painfully bright.

"We could do so many wonderful things, just as we had planned." He opened his eyes again, this time to be met with the visage of his angel, smiling down at him from above. Yep, he was definitely dead.

"I'm so sorry." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I know you are. You've been saying it in your sleep for the last three hours."

"Am I dead?" She was laughing now.

"I'm sorry, yes? I don't really know what to call it."

"Did I… Did I hurt you?" His eyes welled up, "Did Jerry kill you?" Melanie didn't respond, instead her attention turned to something in the distance.

"I'm glad you're here, did you want to try and talk to him? He's a bit out of it right now." Huh? With a final smile Melanie moved out of his field of vision. He tried to reach out to her, tell her not to go, but seconds later he found the image of Charley where she once stood.

"Hey…" He muttered, eyes looking everywhere but at him. Finally he sighed then took a deep breath and began, "Listen dude, I'm sorry I've been an ass. I'm sorry I didn't believe you, and I'm sorry that I let all of this happen to you. You can hate me all you want or whatever, I'm not gonna say I don't deserve it, but I'm gonna do whatever I can to get you out of this." Charley declared, though the uncertainty rang clear in his voice. What, was he going to Hell or something? He supposed that naturally vampires would, himself even more so for all the trouble he had caused. Though in Supernatural they went to purgatory, which was a similar environment he supposed.

"Does it hurt?" Charley asked after what was an incredibly awkward period of silence on his end.

"He's too drugged to really feel anything at the moment," Melanie supplied from off in the abyss. "That's why he's a bit disoriented."

"What…" Ed tried to form a sentence, but trailed off. Slowly a pounding headache began to make itself known and he began to struggle against the haze, if only he could cradle his aching brain. It took a great deal of willpower, but he found himself sitting up, looking at both Charley and Melanie before him. Once he was up, the brightness began to fade and he begin to make out details. His head was still swimming, but it was enough for his senses to come back. He could see his arms, all with cords attached to them. Next came the smell of sanitation chemicals covering the faint but evident undertone of piss. He was in the hospital.

"Do you remember what happened?" Melanie asked uncertainly. He didn't quite know how to respond. He looked at Melanie and nodded slowly, taking in her appearance as his senses came back to him. She no longer wore the swanky dress Jerry had given her, but rather a two-sizes-too-large white sweater and light colored leggings. Guilt washed over him, no longer a nagging emotion drowned out by his own selfish desires, but a prominent force on its own.

"I'm sorry I set you on fire," she apologized. He shook his head,

"I kidnapped you, I hurt you," he rasped.

"We're even," she finished before he could go on. At this point Charley wanted to interject and mention that Melanie was still a hundred miles from home and still probably in a lot of trouble thanks to Ed, and thus the two were not even, but he figured that now was probably not the best time to go back to being a dick.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Both Melanie and Charley could tell that Ed wanted to say more, but was holding himself back for one reason or another. Ed's eyes were focused on Melanie's face, she looked like hell. When they had first met, days ago in California her face was bright and round but now her eyes were red and puffy and lined by dark circles and forming wrinkles. Her hair once neat and pressed was now barely contained in a simple bun which he suspected had migrated to its current position at the side of her head. Her skin seemed dull even in the light and he could see her cheekbones becoming more defined on her face. He had done this to her and he hated himself for it.

"It's his blood," Ed began suddenly, frantic to give her an explanation. She deserved an explanation. "It's like some kind of drug. It gives him full control." Ed licked his lips before continuing. "It makes you accept it, embrace it. Soon it's as if it's the only thing you've ever known, or ever wanted to know." There was a pregnant silence.

"He'll probably be coming after you soon. Can he track you or anything?" Charley asked, awkwardly. Ed shook his head in reply.

"This isn't Twilight, Jerry doesn't have some kind of magical tracking ability. At best he could just hire and bribe people just like anyone else. He has my phone number though. I don't know how much of his blood is still in me. If he calls, I don't know if I'll be able to resist." On cue, Melanie produced his phone from her shirt.

"I think I'm going to keep this for now, if you don't mind. We'll be back later and give you a temp. I'd give you mine, but Jerry still has it." He nodded, that explained how she had called Charley. Speaking of, he looked over at him.

"Can you take her home?" He asked hopefully. Now it was Charley's turn to shake his head.

"Amy drove us out here and I'm not going to risk asking my mom to take us to California."

"It hasn't quite been 48 hours yet, so I'm not officially listed as missing." Melanie added softly. "I don't want to go back yet. Not if it means you guys are still in danger…" Again there was silence, cut short by Ed's sigh.

"Go home Melanie. I should have enough for bus fare, but you have to understand, this isn't your fight."

"You made it my fight when you brought me here," she responded harshly. "And even then, it's been my problem since you first messaged me about him. I was so worried about you after you disappeared, granted I thought you were insane and had decided to go off and do something stupid, but now I know about all of," she gestured wildly around the room, "this! And we've come to a point where you can't just put me on a bus and tell me that this is none of my business!" It was Melanie's turn to sigh. "We legit just had this same conversation right before your 'accident', Ed!"

With the rising tension in the room and no idea how to deal with it, given his recent strained relationship with Ed, Charley inched toward the door, more than ready to leave the other two alone to their 'creative discussion'.

"Charley what do you think?" Said boy, who did not want to be involved, froze. Melanie, who had addressed him, stood before him, arms crossed over her chest.

"Charley, you wouldn't let Amy go off to her death to fight a vampire, would you?" Ed asked, having to clear his throat afterwards. Charley shook his head, but was ignored as Melanie continued their argument,

"That's exactly what you were doing when you brought me here, Eddie! You literally brought me here for Jerry to kill me!"

"I'm trying to make up for it!"

Charley was about to duck out into the corridor, however the second he touched the handle, it opened in on him. His own girlfriend, Amy, stuck her head in the gap and took a look at the, now feuding, couple and decided to enter, despite Charley's desperate gestures not to enter and instead please for the love of god let him out.

"Oh, Amy!" Melanie cut Ed off mid-argument to greet the newcomer. "Perhaps you can give us a second opinion." A light glare sent in Ed's direction kept him from immediately protesting.

"Okay, what's wrong?" She agreed, much to Ed's chagrin. Melanie sent a small smile her way, lifting a single finger and pulling a phone from her shirt.

"I am going to record a video, and you are going to point out what's wrong with it okay?"

"Where did you get a phone?" Ed asked incredulously.

"It's yours." She pointed the camera at Amy then at Charley, then Ed, and finally around at herself where she repositioned herself next to Ed for good measure.

"Okay Amy, tell me what's wrong with this picture… Video, whatever." She handed the phone to Amy who hit play. It took a few seconds before confusion crept over her face.

"Ed's missing… How?" Before Melanie could respond, Charley interjected,

"Amy, please just leave it alone."

"Charley, why can't I see Ed?"

"It's not important, Amy please!"

"Melanie, what is this?"

"Melanie, you don't need to involve her in this." Ed stated. Mel rolled her eyes,

"She's been involved ever since you got Charley involved." Focusing her eyes on Amy, she began. "Everything I'm about to tell you is going to sound insane, but I'll ask you to save your disbelief until the end, okay?" Amy glanced at Charley, who's face was still begging for her to just leave the room and forget all of this, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Ed is a vampire. Jerry turned him. Charley knows about it." Melanie paused at Amy's snorts of disbelief. "Ed has been with Jerry for a good week or so. He convinced him to drive all of the way to California to kidnap me."

"You're serious."

"You saw the video. No other apps are open, there's no way for me to edit it."

"Yeah but you honestly want me to believe that-"

"Amy, we don't have time for this, at least pretend to believe us until this is all over." Amy looked over at Charley and then back to Ed and Melanie.

"Let's say I believe that this isn't some kind of elaborate prank. What are you going to do? Why aren't you going back to California?" Melanie sighed,

"I won't go back until I know Ed will be safe. I already got dragged all the way out here, I have the right to make it count."

"Even after he 'kidnapped' you?"

"I've already forgiven him for that. Amy, listen, if something like this happened to Charley, would you just turn your back and leave him alone?" Once again silence found its way into the room. Amy desperately wanted to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of the situation but the atmosphere was so solemn there was no room for even a smile. All eyes were on her, gauging her reaction. Not knowing what else to do, she shook her head no and looked around confusedly as both of the boys in the room let out sighs and groans. Melanie herself kept a serious expression as she continued.

"Now that that's settled, this brings us to another problem…" Charley's eyes narrowed in her direction,

"What?" his tone was harsh.

" Tonight marks 48 hours after I was taken. Knowing my parents they'll be on the news begging for anyone to bring their little girl back."

"You can stay at my house for now," Amy offered. "My parents aren't really at home all that much, and my room's in the basement anyway." Ed let out a groan of frustration.

"You can't be serious!"

"Ed, I'll be back to visit in a few days, okay?" Melanie glanced back at him over her shoulder. "I'll be keeping your phone so you'll be able to contact me."

"Melanie!" He reached out and grabbed her wrist, almost falling out of the bed in doing so. Their eyes met and every protest Ed had in him was purged from his mind.

"Please be careful," was all he could muster. She nodded and then her and Amy were out the door.

Charley stayed behind for a moment more, trying hard not to freak out about Amy now being involved in this. The boys shared a look and the message was clear. It was going to be up to Charley to find a way to kill Jerry before the situation could get any worse.

* * *

The drive back to Amy's was silent save for the hum of the engine. They were wary dropping Charley off at his house, but luckily for them, Jerry didn't seem to be home. They sped off into the night the second Charley was safely inside, not wanting to risk being that close to Jerry's house for too long. Melanie had dared to sneak a glance at it from the floor where she had been laying in the back seat and was almost shocked at how normal it looked. She supposed she shouldn't have expected too much from a crazy vampire with a daddy kink named Jerry of all things, but still, it was strange seeing what had been so close to being her eternal prison. Once they were far enough away she felt confident enough to climb into the seat and ride like a civilized person. She pulled Ed's phone from her pocket. What she had neglected to tell him at the hospital was that Jerry had already called four or five times and sent several texts, the majority of which she was too afraid to open lest it show that they had been read, but what she had gathered form the message previews was that Jerry was not only willing, but prepared to drive back to California to kill her this time, if she was lucky, but something much worse awaited her should he catch her before then, however. She didn't want to think about it. For now, she just looked forward to a nice shower and finally having a good night's sleep.


End file.
